The early Norwegian black metal scene of the 1990s is credited with shaping the modern black metal genre and producing some of the most acclaimed and influential artists in extreme metal.
The scene had a distinct ethos, and its core members referred to themselves as "The Black Circle" or "Black Metal Inner Circle." This group consisted of men who congregated at the record shop Helvete ("Hell") in Oslo. In interviews, they expressed anti-Christian and misanthropic views, presenting themselves as a cult-like group of militant Satanists intent on spreading terror, hatred, and evil. They adopted pseudonyms and appeared in photographs adorned with "corpse paint" and wielding medieval weaponry. The scene was exclusive, creating boundaries around itself and incorporating only those it deemed "true" or committed. Musical integrity was paramount, and artists sought to maintain black metal's underground status.
In August 1993, several of its members were arrested, and in May 1994, they were convicted of arson, murder, assault, and possession of explosives, most notably Varg Vikernes for the murder of Euronymous. Most showed no remorse for their actions at the time. Some Norwegian media referred to them as "Satanic terrorists," and one Norwegian TV channel interviewed a woman who claimed that Satanists had sacrificed her child and killed her dog. The early Norwegian black metal scene has since been the subject of numerous books and documentaries.
Ideology The Norwegian black metal scene was vehemently opposed to Christianity and organized religion as a whole. In interviews during the early 1990s, Euronymous and other members of the scene portrayed themselves as militant misanthropic devil worshippers who sought to spread hatred, sorrow, and evil. They criticized the Church of Satan for being too "humane." The theistic Satanism they advocated was an inversion of Christianity. Euronymous was the key figure behind this ideology. He professed to support totalitarianism and to oppose compassion, peace, happiness, and fun.Lahdenpera, Esa. "Northern Black Metal Legends". In: Kill Yourself, no. 2, August 1993. Retrieved 30 January 2013. When asked why such statements were made to the press, Ihsahn of Emperor stated, "I think that was very much to create fear among people." He added that the scene "wanted to be in opposition to society" and "tried to concentrate more on just being 'evil' than having a real Satanic philosophy." Vikernes claimed that the reason they professed to advocate "evil" was to provoke.
According to the book Lords of Chaos, many who knew Euronymous claim that "the extreme Satanic image he projected was, in fact, just that – a projection which bore little resemblance to his real personality." Those making this assertion include Necrobutcher,Patterson, Dayal. Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult. Feral House, 2013. p.155 Kjetil Manheim, Vikernes, and Blackthorn (the latter two were convicted for his murder). Faust stated that with Euronymous, "there was a lot of smoke but not so much fire." Mortiis, however, asserted that Euronymous "was such a devil worshipper you wouldn't believe it,"Christe, Ian. Sound of the Beast: the Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. New York: Harper Collins, 2004. while Metalion, who had known Euronymous since 1985 and considered him his best friend, remarked that Euronymous "was always telling what he thought... worshipping death and being extreme." Regarding other members of the scene, Samuel Fridh suggests that there is no evidence to support their early claims of being devil worshippers,Fridh, Samuel. Satan: The Perfect Man: A Symbol and Gender Analysis of Satanism in Black Metal. University of Gothenburg, 2010. p. 7. and Leif A. Lier, who led the police investigation following Euronymous's death, stated that he and his team had not encountered a single Satanist. Faust remarked that "for some people it [Satanism] was bloody serious, but to a lot of them it was all a big hype."
In retrospect, Metalion reflected, "In the past, people just wrote about Satan, but now people meant it. I believe it was serious—maybe not all the Satanism, but definitely the approach to the music and the lifestyle. It was certainly more destructive than metal had been in the past."Kristiansen, p. 222. Tenebris from the Misanthropic Luciferian Order, a Swedish Satanic order, noted that the Norwegian scene "meant a lot as long as it lasted. Back then, in 1991, things mainly concerned black metal and ideological Satanism (not so much practical Satanism, but anyway...)... It grew quickly to become a sort of black metal army... and kind of stood and fell with Euronymous and his shop. Therefore, it vanished with his death in '93... Sadly enough, many people involved at the time betrayed their ideals and lost their interest when things fell apart. Like it was nothing more than a hype of temporary nature.""MLO. Misantropiska Lucifer Orden". In Jon Kristiansen, Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries. Bazillion Points Books 2011, p. 551.
Regarding the term "black metal," Euronymous stated that it applies to any heavy metal band that identifies as theistic Satanists and writes Satanic lyrics. Such notions were echoed by other members of the scene, including Faust. At the time, bands with a style akin to Norwegian black metal but lacking Satanic lyrics tended to use alternative terms to describe their music.Halupczok, Marc. "Waldschrate & Met-Trinker". In: Metal Hammer. March 2010. p. 30.Enslaved: Frost. Osmose Productions 1994.Various artists: Nordic Metal – A Tribute to Euronymous. Necropolis Records 1995.
Some bands within the scene were intrigued by pre-Christian Norway and its traditions, and there was an undercurrent of romantic nationalism present. Additionally, some scene members engaged with Nazi imagery, primarily as a means of provocation. In a private letter written in the early 1990s, Euronymous asserted that "almost all" Norwegian black metal bands at the time were "more or less Nazis." He expressed an interest in totalitarian communist states, claiming he wished to see people "rot under communist dictatorship."
Origins
During the 1980s, black metal was a loose collective of a few heavy metal bands that shared Satanic lyrics; however, most of the "first wave" bands employed Satanism primarily for shock value.
Mayhem's debut EP Deathcrush (1987) was one of the most influential releases from the first wave of black metal, largely founding the early Norwegian black metal scene. The band drew on the influence of the first wave of black metal such as Hellhammer, Venom and Bathory, the punk of Amebix, GBH, Discharge and the Misfits, as well as more experimental groups like Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd. In the book Lords of Chaos, Mayhem were credited as the band who combined the influence of the disparate styles of black metal's first wave and created the style that is understood as black metal today.
In 1988, the band hired vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin of the Swedish band Morbid. Dead wore corpse paint, black and white makeup to achieve a ghastly appearance. According to Mayhem bassist Necrobutcher, "it wasn't anything to do with the way Kiss and Alice Cooper used makeup. Dead actually wanted to look like a corpse. He didn't do it to look cool." This would go on to become a hallmark of the Norwegian black metal scene. Dead would also bury his stage clothes and dig them up to wear on concert nights.
Other first wave Norwegian black metal bands included Old Funeral (formed in 1988), Stigma Diabolicum (formed in 1989 and later changed their name to Thorns)Thorns: Stigma Diabolicum (A5 Leatherbook version), Kyrck Productions 2007. and Mortem (formed in 1989). Mayhem guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth and Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch of Thorns developed a style of riffing where guitarists played full chords utilising all the strings of the guitar instead of relying on power chords, which typically use only two or three strings, which would become a key element of the subsequent waves of black metal.
Dead's suicide On 8 April 1991, Mayhem vocalist and lyricist Per Yngve Ohlin, known by the stage name "Dead," committed suicide with a shotgun while alone in a house shared by the band. Fellow musicians described Dead as odd, introverted, and depressed. For performances, he made himself look like a corpse and engaged in self-harm while performing. Dead was discovered by Mayhem guitarist Euronymous with his wrists and throat slit and a gunshot wound to his forehead. Before calling the police, Euronymous took a camera and photographed the body after rearranging some items. One of these photographs was later used as the cover of a bootleg live album: Dawn of the Black Hearts.
Euronymous exploited Dead's suicide to enhance Mayhem's "evil" image, claiming that Dead had killed himself because black metal had become "trendy" and commercialized. He created necklaces purportedly made from fragments of Dead's skull and distributed them to musicians he considered worthy. Metal Hammer writer Enrico Ahlig cited the notoriety of the event as beginning the second wave of black metal. Mayhem bassist Jørn 'Necrobutcher' Stubberud noted, "people became more aware of the black metal scene after Dead had shot himself [...]; I think it was Dead's suicide that really changed the scene."Unrestrained magazine #15: Necrobutcher interview The suicide caused a rift between Euronymous and some of his friends, particularly Necrobutcher, who were disgusted by his attitude towards Dead. Some claimed Euronymous "went into a fantasy world" and "tried to be as extreme as he had talked about."
The months following the event saw the formation of Norwegian black metal bands Arcturus, Burzum, Carpathian Forest, Emperor, Enslaved, Immortal, Mysticum, Satyricon, Hades Almighty and Gorgoroth. Many of the musicians in these acts had previously been members of death metal bands, while other bands such as Darkthrone instead changed their sound from death metal to black metal.
Two other members of the scene would later commit suicide: Erik 'Grim' Brødreskift (of Immortal, Borknagar, Gorgoroth) in 1999MusicMight: Biography of Immortal and Espen 'Storm' Andersen (of Strid) in 2001.Ravn: Strid. In: Slayer, No. 20, Blood Fire Death, 2010, p. 78.
Helvete and the "Black Circle"
Mayhem guitarist Euronymous was "the central figure involved in the formation of the Norwegian black metal scene," which he "almost single-handedly founded." During May–June 1991, he opened a record shop called Helvete (Norwegian for "Hell"). The shop was located at Schweigaards gate 56 in Oslo. Norwegian black metal musicians often gathered at the shop and in its basement. These included members of Mayhem, members of Emperor, Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes of Burzum, and "Blackthorn" of Thorns. Euronymous also established an independent record label called Deathlike Silence Productions, which was based at Helvete. This label released albums by Norwegian bands Mayhem and Burzum, Swedish bands Merciless and Abruptum, and Japanese band Sigh. Euronymous, Varg, and Emperor guitarist Tomas "Samoth" Haugen lived in the shop at various times. Emperor drummer Bård "Faust" Eithun also lived and worked there. The shop's walls were painted black and adorned with medieval weapons, posters of bands, and picture discs, while its window featured a polystyrene tombstone.
During its operation, Helvete served as the focal point of the Norwegian black metal scene. Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen, the writer of the fanzine Slayer, stated that the opening of Helvete marked "the creation of the whole Norwegian Black Metal scene." Daniel Ekeroth noted in 2008: